RIYADH: ‘Neymar is Blue’. That was the message that lit up the Riyadh sky on Saturday as the superstar was introduced to fans at his new club of Al-Hilal, Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world.
It was an impressive greeting to an impressive signing but the Brazilian legend, who strolled around the King Fahd International Stadium in that famous shirt, now knows that this is not going to be a walk in the park as his new team was held to a 1-1 draw by Al-Fayha in the second round of games this season.
Neymar’s former club Paris Saint-Germain has dominated French football for much of the last decade but while Al-Hilal are the most successful club in Saudi Arabia with 18 titles and also Asia with four championships, the Roshn Saudi League is nothing if not competitive.
Al-Fayha gave as good as they got, defended well, worked hard and cared little about the famous faces on the pitch and those watching from the sidelines.